Choosing an e-commerce platform is a fundamental step, often the primary factor responsible for the success or failure of an e-commerce business.
This decision is all the more important when we are talking about small businesses that have to manage limited budgets and need solutions that can maximize the investment already in the short and medium term.
Magento or Shopify for an e-commerce? Magento or Shopify e-commerce This is the question. We have already explained why we like Shopify as an e-commerce platform and what reasons lead us to prefer it over many other solutions. Now we would also like to explain to you, based on our experience in the development and management of online shops, when it is best to choose between Shopify and Magento. We do not think it is correct to label one of the two platforms as superior to the other, instead we think it is essential to determine your needs and choose accordingly.
Magento e-commerce
Magento is one of the major players in the e-commerce sector, a very powerful but equally complex cms. Today when we talk about Magento we are referring to Magento 2, the most modern, efficient and high-performance version of the cms. Those who already have an e-commerce with Magento 1 will have to consider migrating to the new version or changing platforms, since updates and support for version 1 ended in June 2020.
For example, we have talked at length about the migration from Magento to Shopify, dedicating a real saga to it. We believe it is really important to consider this Saas as a new e-commerce platform also for the ease during the migration phase.
Shopify e-commerce
It is the new entry in the e-commerce world, an effective all-in-one solution that has become popular in a very short time thanks to its simplicity of startup and management. It allows you to create flexible and high-performance e-commerce, e-commerce that is easy to manage and navigate. The development times of an e-commerce site with Shopify are much shorter than those of Magento but obviously each case must be evaluated in order to choose which of the two e-commerce platforms is the most suitable solution for you.
Magento vs Shopify: which one to use to create an e-commerce?
We have introduced two of the tools that are most used for the creation of e-commerce sites but we have not yet identified the characteristics that interest us most to choose which of the two is better. Let’s look at some of them together. In this second part of the article we will provide some information about these two powerful tools to understand which is the most suitable for the creation of your store.
Magento and Shopify: hosting
In fact, among the most frequently asked questions found online we find: is Magento or Shopify better for an e-commerce in 2023? What costs does Shopify have? And the Hosting plan? Let’s try to give some answers together.
Shopify is a cloud-based platform that is accessed via subscription, completely manageable independently without having to resort to external hosting services. With Magento you need to equip yourself with a high-performance server, configure it and be able to manage its problems.
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Backend and frontend customization
Shopify was born with the main code protected but already with a good number of tools and customization options, with the possibility of developing new ones ad hoc or switching to the advanced Shopify Plus version. However, if your business requires extreme customizations, Magento – being an open source software – is certainly more flexible to this kind of requests, but also more expensive.
Shopify allows total control on the frontend side even if the heart of the platform is not accessible, to ensure greater stability and integrity of the system. Magento, on the other hand, is completely customizable at the code level, but this obviously requires significant development skills.
Both platforms allow the insertion of an unlimited number of products. However, our experience tells us that Shopify is suitable for both small and medium-sized stores (up to a few thousand products) and for e-commerce of medium and large companies with high turnover volumes through the Shopify Plus version. On the contrary, Magento is more suitable for stores with tens of thousands of references.
Ease of management and size of the business
Shopify is a really easy iceland whatsapp resource list platform with an intuitive and easy-to-learn administration interface. This also reduces the probable errors made during the ordinary management of the shop. Magento, on the other hand, has a more complex and structured backend, suitable for those who are already familiar with that type of software.
Site performance
With Shopify, the server’s transmission bandwidth is unlimited and is automatically adjusted according to the accesses generated, while in the case of Magento, in the presence of a traffic peak, it is advisable to have a good system at hand with a plan B to avoid problems with the site.
Apps and plugins: how to integrate new features into the shop
For years, Magento bh lists Marketplace has presented a wide variety of solutions that allow you to integrate new functions for the shop, with costs usually linked only to the purchase of the module and the expert who takes care of the installation. Shopify, on the other hand, has a younger App Store but with a growing number of apps that are continuously integrated by developers, to allow you to add features to the store. The various applications are managed with the payment of monthly fees or a one-off fee with the possibility of a trial period prior to purchase.
Marketing: intuitive or cumbersome?
On both platforms, you can work on the SEO side of the products, you can integrate email marketing automation platforms, promotional activities with coupons, free shipping, product reviews or apps to sell on external marketplaces. That said, there are essentially two differences. Shopify wins on the simplicity front, as its apps are more intuitive than Magento plugins even for non-experts and allow you to change configurations more quickly without necessarily having to contact the webmaster every time. On the other hand, Magento, unlike Shopify, integrates planning tools useful for marketing.
Support and assistance
Shopify is almost unbeatable with a personalized assistance service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, able to guide you through configurations, solve problems, doubts, or find solutions to malfunctions that are usually very rare. Magento, being an open source platform, does not have customer care services dedicated to customers (available only in the enterprise version). In case of problems, you can turn to the developer community without guaranteeing certain answers and solutions.
Multichannel
Shopify wins this challenge since it has numerous native integrations thanks to the partnership with Facebook, for example, which allows you not to have to leave the social network if you want to buy a product. Magento requires more study and research for a personalized solution for multichannel sales.
Costs and times: how much does Shopify cost? And Magento?
What are the costs of Shopify? Shopify offers 3 subscription plans, for a maximum of 299 dollars per month in the standard version, to which you need to add specific functions if needed. For medium and large companies with a high level of turnover and/or number of products, the Shopify Plus version is available with advanced functions at a cost of 2000 euros per month. In both cases, it is best to contact experts for the initial configuration of the template and apps in order to guarantee the correct functioning of the online shop and start selling.
Magento, on the other hand, being an open source software, does not have a fee to pay for use, but requires a team of Magento developers for the initial configuration and installation. After that, it requires a fairly structured server with a monthly cost that can vary from 100€ for shops with basic needs to a few thousand euros for multiple stores on a dedicated server. Even more so, Magento requires the constant support of developers to install, configure, develop everything with increasing costs and significant times for medium-high complexity solutions.
Graphic layout
In principle, the graphic potential is the same for both. With Magento you have a vast choice of themes, but each customization requires the constant intervention of developers. With Shopify there is a more limited number, but definitely in line with the latest visual trends, which is why there is less need for intervention by developers.
Updates
Magento is a very complex system and even updates make security more expensive. Shopify performs painless and invisible updates for users, with which new features are always integrated.
Shopify or Magento then?
Obviously we are faced with two excellent solutions for starting an e-commerce project, with differences that as we have seen consist above all in the budget available and the availability (or not) of dedicated development skills. Magento is certainly a tool as powerful as it is complex and expensive, unlike its competitor which is simpler and leaner.
Shopify, on the other hand, is today the most agile, easy and fast e-commerce platform to open an online shop in a short time and immediately focus on its success. A small to medium business or a startup with limited budgets can thus afford to publish its site in a few weeks, save on development costs and divert a good part of the available resources into marketing strategies that work.
